As a result of economic hardship, US military actions, climate change, and lack of infrastructure, Micronesia has some of the highest emigration rates in the world. Micronesians are allowed free migration to the United States under the Compact of Free Association (COFA) which allows for continued US military presence in the island region. In exchange, the US offers COFA citizens the right to live, work, and study in the United States.Due to its proximity to the homeland, many emigrating Micronesians wind up in Hawaii. But upon arrival, the situation for Mironesians in the US is not always as welcoming or promising as COFA terms make it seem. According to Civil Beat, Honolulu’s investigative reporting news source, Micronesian migrants make up about 20% of the large homeless population in Hawaii. Furthermore, in 2009 the state of Hawaii rolled back MediCare plans for COFA citizens significantly. The fact is that Micronesians in Hawaii frequently fall victim to stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. For background on migration from Micronesia and hardships faced by refugees in Hawaii, consult this piece by Al Jazeera.
The video here includes interviews with Micronesians living in Hawaii who discuss what day to day racism looks like in their lives. This source was created by an undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii for the purpose of highlighting discrimination toward Micronesians in Hawaii, and was probably intended to reach university audiences as well as the general public. The segment conducts its more in-depth interviews mostly with Micronesian people who feel they have experienced discrimination in Hawaii, so it is worth noting that the source’s bias may not reflect the perspective of native Hawiians or other actors in the conflict. This video could help future historians understand what life was like for Micronesian migrants to Hawaii, and the ways they had been received by the native people when they got there.
Other Pieces of Interest:
Lessons from Hawaii poem by Kathy Jetnil- Kijiner
An Untold Story of American Migration article by Civil Beat
Jacquelyn Dupont